About the 2002 Series Social Studies Test

The GED® Social Studies Test measures your knowledge of history, geography, government, and economics. Basically, it’s about people, places, and important events. Social Studies is an important subject because it helps us understand who we are and what we stand for as an individual, community, and country.

The GED® Social Studies Test is 70 minutes long and features 50 multiple choice questions. The content on the test breaks down like this.

History (U.S. or Canada, 25%; World, 15%)

Geography (15%)

Civics and government (25%)

Economics (20%)

Because the GED® test is taken in Canada too, a Canadian version of the Social Studies Test was also created. The Canadian version uses the same items as the U.S. version in relation to world history, geography, and economics, but it includes Canadian-specific government, civics, and history questions.

Many Social Studies Test questions come from documents that we include in the test. For example, you may read a political speech and then be asked questions about specific things written in the speech. We don’t expect you to memorize dozens of political speeches for the test—you’ll be provided the reading material on the test. Then it’s up to you to think critically about the text and answer the questions.

Do you have more questions about the Social Studies Test? Go online to our Facebook page and start the conversation there.